Evidence of meeting #27 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was inquiry.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:40 p.m.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Dawson or Ms. Benoit or Mr. Coakeley, following up on Mr. Hiebert's line of questions, since taking office, Ms. Dawson, how many inquiries have you conducted or are you in the process of conducting?
4:45 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner
I have conducted two.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
I presume the fact that you've done two, so to speak, over nine months triggers your answer that in a calendar year you'll likely do three or four.
In terms of not only your time but your staff time generally, how much time is consumed by inquiries relative to everything else you do--field complaints, advise MPs?
4:45 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner
It is 5% to 10%.
4:45 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner
Yes, I would say so. There can be intense periods where some people are spending their whole day, but when you consider that you have 45 staff, only six or seven of your staff would ever be involved in the inquiry, at most, so I would say 5% or 10%.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
With respect to a complaint initiated against a member of Parliament, when you receive, or when your office receives, information that a particular member is being sued, I take it as a matter of integrity that before you can start anything, before you can even think about investigating the complaint, you need to see the document, the statement of claim that actually initiated the lawsuit.
4:45 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner
Yes. Most inquiries don't necessarily relate to lawsuits, of course, but a statement of claim would be a fairly central aspect to a lawsuit, yes.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
There is no other way to start a lawsuit except by way of a statement of claim, so that would be the minimum starting point for you, to receive the statement of claim, proof positive that a particular member has been sued, and you move on from there.
4:45 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner
That would be a very good idea, yes.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
If I may, with respect to the estimates, to some extent this has been alluded to already, but I see that the information component of the estimates has been doubled compared with last year, and double compared with even the year before that. What will actually cause the information component of the estimates to be doubled?
4:45 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner
It is largely website and computer related, but maybe my assistant could respond.
4:45 p.m.
Director, Corporate Management, Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner
With the establishment of our legal section there is a requirement for periodicals and books that we weren't investing in before. That's a major contribution, and also printing because we're going to get into more outreach material. There also may be a requirement for more printing costs.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
On the decision you took, Ms. Dawson, to develop an in-house legal team as opposed to contracting out, were you advised to do that, or have you in a previous career done something like that? What triggered that decision?
4:45 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner
I can't imagine not having your own legal staff. I've always had my own legal staff. I've always been a lawyer. It did not make sense to me not to have my own legal staff.
There are day-to-day legal questions you have to answer or deal with that have nothing to do with inquiries. Even for that purpose, one needs a legal staff, especially when we have moved from a code to an act. That entered it squarely into the legal domain.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
I appreciate that the delivery of good service is paramount. I understand that. But in terms of cost savings, is it fair to say that for the immediate and for the short term, there will be no cost savings as you develop your legal team, but the cost savings will be realized in years to come?
4:45 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner
I would hope so, but even if there weren't cost savings, I would say it was a prudent and essential move.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
I apologize, gentlemen. There was something I really had to take care of, and it's taken care of.
I have no more speakers. Is there anyone else who wants to ask any questions of Ms. Dawson at this time?
If not, Mrs. Dawson, is there anything final you would like to say to the committee with regard to the discussions we've had? Is there anything your colleagues would like to clarify before we move on to a little bit of other committee business?
4:50 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner
I don't think so. I simply thank you for hearing me out, and I do hope we will work constructively together as the months go by.
Thank you very much.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
Thank you.
We appreciate it, and we certainly will look forward to having you again.
You are now excused.
Colleagues, I just want to advise the committee that with regard to the privacy work, I did consult with the Privacy Commissioner about the propriety of having Heather Black before us. She gave us a glowing credential CV backgrounder. She is very enthusiastic and highly recommends her, so there's--
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
--no problem.
We will send to you a proposal of what's happening over the next three or four meetings. We have good work. We're going to be in a better position after we hear from Ms. Black and from the Privacy Commissioner herself as to putting a little more focus to the areas we will be dealing with.
If there are no further matters, we will inform you and give you an update on what's happening, but it looks like we're good until the 29th already.
Thank you.
We're adjourned.
